Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-10

.sD,.;
WI" III.
says 'A"es iwl'chei'
nunaio Dill iate manager OF the Londol
wild West show, Il took part in som
exhibitions that were not down on tn
bills One in particular shall not b
likely to forget. The show disbauded a
Chicago; Bamboo. the trick elephant- WA
leased to the Kiralfy brothers, who wer
about to open their season in Boston
Bamboo had established q name for him
self as q savage, treacherous brute, VIII,
had killed and manned at least a dozer
men. He had q keeper who was il
the habit Of becoming and remainins
drunk. I hadn't much idea Of tn,
dangerous character of the journey unit
We were perhaps a hundred miles out Of
Chicago. The bottom of the car was
thickly Uttered with hay, in which BAN
boo, the keeper and myself were TO sleer
together. The keepers bottle was one OF
my earliest discoveries and discourage
ments. The novelty of the situation KEEP,
me awake pretty much all the first night
out, and it was with some dismay that
discovered that the keeper was hopelessly
drunk, snoring in the hay. That would
not have minded had Bamboo only kept
quiet. But he didn't and wouldn't, and
that first night, before l had become in
the least accustomed to the situation, was
simply q night Of horrors In the still
hours OF that night, with the train rush
ing along at the rate Of thirty miles an
hour. would at short intervals hear a
muffied snort from the monster at the
other end OF the car, and then feel q gi-
gantic foot showing against me, or the end
Of his trunk passing inquisitively over my
face. Then would jump up and yell to
phasize my remarks.
Here, you-wake up, That Internal
is going to trample us to deathr
The drunken keeper would get to his
feet, swear, give Ban boo an unmerciful
prodding with his fc k, the great brute
would lie down and cry, and we would
have peace.
This scene, with variations, is what
happened all the way from Chicago to
New York. I wasn't trampled TO death
by the elephant; why l was not l do not
know.
About daylight we were in the vicinity
Df Erie, Pa. Here Bamboo took cogni-
lance of his surroundings in a disagree
able way. Elephant cars, he it under
stood, are specially built and fitted for the
Of these brutes. and the
,ar in which We first embarked was not
VI this kind. 1t WAS not high enough nor
strong enough. When the vicious brute
lad thoroughly satisfied himself of these
acts, he rose up out OF the hay, arched
lis ugly back, and burst the whole top of
he car out
1--WE stopped at Erie. There was loud
wearing and clamor by the railroad men
or compensation for the damage. told
hem to send their bill to the Kiralfys,
md, in the meantime, if they didn't want
he elephant on their hands to take care
#, they had better help me get him to
s,ston As fast as possible. They took a
ook at Bamboo, observed his vicious eye,
md said they guessed that was so.
I'VE arrived at Buffalo. A necessity
Il the trip was a change Of cars at this
,oint. The elephant had been well fed
md well watered, and might have had
he decency to behave himself. The
,eeper got him ont Of the wrecked car in
.ood shape and started him for his new
uarters in the waiting train. A great
lie of blackberry crates was near. but not
L all in the way. May be blamed if
hat devilish brute didn't make for them
nd destroy twenty-four full crates before
he keeper could restrain him.
''Well. everybody knows the law about
lephants and other wild beasts. had
o settle for the blackberries on the spot,
nd q large holeit made in my 800.
1.-The most dangerous and laborious in
ident Of our trip would not have hap
ened but for the fact that when the
eeper was sober he would smoke pipe.
lis smoking set the hay afire near SYRIA
use, and before it was discovered the car
'as filed with smoke, the elephant was
norting and trumpeting, and we couldn't
I'VE had two buckets. rushed with
hem through the baggage car, over the
snder, got the fireman in the cab to fill
hem, and ran back with them to our car
his feat, half q dozen times repeated,
nth the train going at express speed. was
o small task The keeper TOOK the pals
t the door Of our car and doused the
urning hay with the water. Simple
you would say, to put out such
fire that way. So it would have been
ut for that elephant. He came near
citing us and himself burned up to-
ether; for about every second he would
wing his trunk around, overset the pals
nd spill the water anywhere but on the
re. have heard something Of the in
diligence Of the elephant; this fellow was
4 a panic until We got that fire out.
lone Sunday morning we unloaded at
he Grand Central station in New York,
nd getting into Broadway. marched tri-
down. OF my $50 1 had left
l.5O Bamboo had eaten up and de-
troyed more than $50 worth. The keeper
'as gloriously drunk: but we had passed
he larger part Of the journey, we had but
ne stage more, and l had high hopes of
citing into Boston Tuesday morning at
he furthest.
with much trouble we got the brute
uartered in a barn on Crosby street. We
lept with him, and ate cold junk for
wenty -four hours. When We marched
be next d,v NV n m Was cone and the
eeper and / had left our coats as security
,r the elephants board. Yet l presume